Intermezzo
Intermezzo is the 12th short story which appeared in the anthology , published in May 1950. The events in the story take place during the Second World War in Palermo. In the anthology, it is preceded by Mischievous Melody and followed by Perseus Flies Again. Synopsis A captured spy is brought before the Major Jeff Quinton, the American Provost Marshal of the U.S. Forces in Palermo. He quickly realises she is no ordinary spy. Is it all a coincidence? Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Captain Cy Gretton informs his boss Jeff Quinton that they have just caught a spy. She was a young woman who had been hiding out in the campanile at Palermo and sending secret messages by radio. She had been searched and holding a stack of notes which were the messages she had been transmitting. Cy thinks Jeff should see her. He is reluctant but finally agrees and the woman is brought before him. Surprise would be an understatement. Jeff quickly dismisses everyone so that he can speak to the woman alone. There follows a "so it's you!" exchange of recriminations between the two. The woman, named Fiore, and Jeff, had once been lovers. They had met and dined in the very room where Jeff is now questioning her. Was it all a lie? Fiore admits that she was an agent of OVRA, the Italian secret police. They knew Jeff was a US Army intelligence officer and when he came to Palermo on holiday, they had sent Fiore to spy on him. But did she have to take it so far? Spy on a man, but why pick his heart to pieces? Fiore reminds Jeff that it was he who started the lovemaking. Fiore says that she still loved him. Then why did she go away without a word? Fiore would only say that no one is master of one's own fate. Jeff knows that whatever he does would end up in "a living purgtory". Kill the woman he loves or let her go? Be a thug or traitor? There was no point prolonging the agony for both of them. Fiore asks Jeff to do his duty and send her away. Jeff calls in the guards and has her taken away to the base. A priest arrives and insists on seeing Jeff. He has something to tell Jeff. He tells him that Fiore had been forced to work for the OVRA because her father was an anti-fascist and in an internment camp and she feared for his safety. When they learnt of her romance with Jeff, they had showed her a fake marriage certificate showing that Jeff was already married with two children. A blatant lie! But it was enough to make Fiore obey her instructions and leave Jeff. No doubt she went away, the priest said, to nurse her hurt. In any case the OVRA and the Gestapo ultimately killed Fiore's father. And she still worked for them? The priest says Jeff has been overly hasty. Has Jeff considered why the US casualties had been so light? Jeff studies the notes--the messages Fiore had been sending. All fake intelligence! The priest takes his leave, leaving an admonition that those who oppose fascism must be those that suffer most under it. And just because they did not speak up or they are not heard, did not mean they remain passive. After the priest leaves, Jeff tells Cy that he must hurry to the U.S. base. Cy tells Jeff he had found a picture of Jeff among her possessions. Who was Fiore? Only his wife. And the priest? The person who had married them four years ago in Palermo. Characters *Major Jeff Quinton *Captain Cy Gretton *Fiore Orsina *Unnamed priest Aircraft No aircraft play a part in this story. Ships Places Visited Research Notes Publication History *Collected in Short Sorties, Latimer House, 1950 *Collected in Short Sorties and Sky Fever, Norman Wright, 2006 References External Links Category:Short stories Category:Other short stories Category:Adult short stories